Kingdom Come: Deliverance developer Warhorse has posted a new dev diary video, outlining the RPG’s melee combat system, a format the studio has hailed as “revolutionary.”

The clip above shows medieval warriors going at it with swords, using a variety of swipes and ripostes, while using un-gentlemanly kicks to create distance when both combatants get a little too close for comfort. Stamina also plays a role in dealing out attacks, and is the key to tiring armoured opponents before over-powering them.

In the video, Kingdom Come’s lead systems designer Viktor Bocan said, “We want the combat to be special. You will not kill dozens and dozens of enemies; every fight is unique and more like a duel than some hack-and-slash action game.”

The example shown see the player tussling with a knight on a large battlefield, while scores of troops lock blades around them. The angle and severity of sword attacks changes up often – rather than the same old swipes – and makes for what appears to be a tense encounter.

In fact; there are 18 attack variations that can target six strike zones on an enemy’s body, and that includes pommel bashing, kicks and punches. Blocking will deflect incoming blows from all angles, but parries are harder to pull off. Successful parrying comes with the added bonus of stunning your attacker, leaving them open for a counter-attack.

It does seem like an intricate system. Check out the video and let us know what you think below.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is now successfully funded on Kickstarter and is coming to PC, and possibly PS4 and Xbox One.